Bankotsu's Lament
by The Almighty Ro
Summary: My version of after Bankotsu kills Renkotsu: After the death of the traitor Renkotsu, Bankotsu finds himself unable to continue on without his brothers. Before he takes his own life, will he help another?


Disclaimer: Me no own!

Enjoy, su!

**Bankotsu's Lament**

He hated him. He hated Renkotsu, the one who had killed his closest of companions. Jakotsu, can you ever forgive me?-he thought as he held his friend's butterfly beret in his now trembling hand. He had never felt such sadness before, such hatred. He was alone now, no again. He was alone like he was before he'd founded the Shichinin-tai.

Bankotsu looked at Renkotsu's remains in hate, his dark eyes burning. No, he'd never betray his friends like that rat had, but he still had killed a brother. His feelings of betrayal were soon consumed with sorrow. The same sorrow he'd felt when he'd learned of Kyokotsu, Mukotsu, Genkotsu, Suikotsu, and Jakotsu's deaths. Yes, he'd killed Renkotsu because he had betrayed his brothers, but that didn't mean he didn't deserve to be mourned. And that is precisely what the braided man did.

"Why did you all leave me!" he yelled furiously, pounding on the ground. "Why did you all go before we could live like old times? All we had to do was kill Inuyasha and his friends, so how could you have let him kill _you_?"

He continued to yell like that for what seemed like forever, clutching Jakotsu's beret until his voice became raspy. Finally he stopped yelling and stared at the ground blankly. What was the point of continuing this fight if all his comrades were gone? What was the point?

Tentatively, he raised Banryuu. He was going to end this life, join his brothers in heaven, or hell, or wherever the six of them had gone to. He smiled slightly; they could even be waiting in limbo for him to go to their eternal resting place together. Raising the large halberd to where his jewel shard was and poised it to-

He heard some scuffling some feet away.

"Who's there," he demanded his navy eyes wary. Suppose this was another of Inuyasha's little friends?-he was in no mood to fight them.

However, he was thrown for a loop when a little girl came stumbling out from the rocks. She was in tears, her supposedly silky black hair wild and untamed hanging in her face. Her pale skin was covered in small scratches, probably from climbing up the mountain. The girl's bright violet eyes were overflowing as she gazed fearfully at Bankotsu as she gripped the edge of her tattered yellow kimono.

Gazing at this sad excuse for a human, Bankotsu felt a tug at his heart. Deciding that he wouldn't kill this girl unless it was perfectly necessary, he set Banryuu down and forced a kind smile.

"Come now little one, you don't have to be afraid of me," he cooed gently, beckoning her forward. She took a shaky step toward him. "That's it, come to big brother Bankotsu."

Sensing he meant her no harm, as unlikely as that was, she ran to him and hugged him round his middle. She sobbed quietly into his armor and kimono.

"Shh, it's all right. Why don't you tell big brother(1) what happened?" he suggested gently.

She nodded as she looked up at him with her bright violet eyes. "D-demons attacked m-my village big brother," she said quietly. "T-they killed everyone and my Kaa-san."

Now this confused Bankotsu greatly. Why would she be upset over demons? Of course he'd always been powerful enough to destroy whole armies of them, so he had no idea how she felt. And why should he?-all the family he had were his-

He stopped his thoughts. Looking down at the little girl sadly, he moved he wild hair from her face. "I just lost my brothers too," he said, surprised he was being kind at all or that he was telling her these things when he'd just decided to kill her.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Your brothers?" she asked in her little voice. It made him cringe in disgust.

"Yes, you see, my brothers and I are mercenaries and I'm the only one left," he told her while his hand snaked it's way to her neck without her knowing. He'd end her pain then end his own.

"B-but if they were like you how could they have been killed?"

His hand froze.

He was silent for along moment before answering in a bitter voice. "Because we were betrayed by the one who had hired us. He didn't give us correct information or just with held it."

"Then why don't you go find him?" she asked. From this question, Bankotsu immediately sensed she meant revenge. He chuckled silently that such a young girl could harbor such intense feelings.

"I don't intend to," he said smiling arrogantly at her. "It was probably a misunderstanding and I intend on following my brothers to the afterlife."

The girl's innocent eyes widened. "But you shouldn't kill yourself!"

Bankotsu raised an eyebrow at her as he brought himself to her level. "And why is that little one?"

"B-because Kaa-san said we should live the life given to us even if it hurts," she said wiping her tears furiously with her dirty sleeves.

To say he was shocked by her words was an understatement. Where had such a young girl gotten such wise words? After regaining himself, Bankotsu smiled at her. "You should get off this mountain, there are demons everywhere," he said changing the subject. He looked over her shoulder. "There is a village near by, right?"

The girl nodded, not sensing him avoiding the subject.

"Then you should get going there," he said as he ushered her down the mountain. "I've already saved your life once, it'd be kind of annoying I had to do it again."

The girl nodded quickly, her eyes wide once more. She began to jog down the mountain but was stopped by Bankotsu's voice.

"Oi, one more thing," he called as he tossed Jakotsu's beret at her. She caught it and looked at him questioningly. "That belonged to a friend of mine. It won't get any use if it stays with me, so you can have it. Even if Jakotsu would be angry I gave something of his to a girl."

The girl smiled brightly at him. "Thank you big brother!" she called and ran off.

Bankotsu smiled after her before picking up his Banryuu. 'Well old buddy, looks like we still have some fight left in us after all,' he thought with a grin. He'd get his revenge on Inuyasha alright, and he'd do it if he died trying, too. Such was the life of the Shichinin-tai.

Kyokotsu, Genkotsu, Mukotsu, Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Jakotsu, wait just a little longer. Soon we'll all be together laughing about old times…

Mind made up, Bankotsu walked through the entrance of the cave Renkotsu had come through minutes before. And also through the entrance to the end of his life…

**End**

Sad, I know, but I just watched the new Inuyasha episode and had to write this. Anyway, review 'cause reviews make the world go round.


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